Engine starter



Nov. 27, 1928. I 1,693,342

W. L. M GRATH ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Feb. 5, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet, l

fliffaass Nov. 27, 1928. 1,693,342-

w. L. MCGRATH ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Feb. 5, 1923 5 Sheets5heet 2 Nov. 27,1928. 1',69s,3 42

W. L. MCGRATH ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Feb. 5, 1923 S'Sheets-Shet 5 El il'i'lllwl l l l l I I N Patented Nov. 27, 1928.

* v UNITED STATES 1, 93 3 PATENT OF E wILLIAIHf t. nceaa'rn, or'nrmma', new YoaK, AssIeNoR 'ro nonri sn iraonnm COMPANY, A ooaronarronor NEW Yoax.

Enema TARTE Application filed February a; 192;, Serial no. erases; aeaewee March 21,- 1927.

My invention relates to means for starting an engine such as an internal combustion enthe drive or transmission between the prime. mover such as anelectric motor and: the part as the flywheel thereof. Thelobject of: my

- .10 a vertically disposed electric motor and which ation to permit the engagement of a driving member, forming a part of such .drive, with the engine member, and for automatic, disengagement of such driving member from the sults which 'willbe apparent from scription'hereinafter given. In the drawings, Figure 1 is partly in section of an embodying my invention; Fig. 2 an end viewof the driving member or pinion; 3' a sectional elevation of thedrive or trans- '2 mission but on a larger s'cale'than in Fig. 1; and Fi 'sl 4 and 5 sectional elevations of such drive illustrating different positions of the Fovable parts and on a-smaller scale than in i ig'. 3. p

i For thesake of a clear and definite descrip- 1 tion ofmy invention, I have shown the same embodied'in one particular construction, but it-will be understood that the embodiment ther'eofmay partake of different forms and -.constructions Without departing from the spirit and scope of m invention. Moreover, the drive may be of t e indirect type instead of direct as herein shown, and 'furth'ermorc, in such indirect type, the axis of the starting the de an elevation motor need not be parallel to the axis; of the. drive proper. I

tion as herein shown, theelectric motor 1 is '1 vertically disposed, that is, its armature shaft is in a vertical position. As shown and by preference the motor 18 supported by thein- V sembly which is readily applicable to and removable from the armature shaft. This gine and has relation more particularly to there slides a shifter sleeve 9 having a ciror member'of' the engine to be started, sujch invention is to provide a simple and efiicient drive or transmission which is associated WItlI' is constructed and arranged for manual oper engine memben'or flywheel. By 'myconstr uc; tion of drivel obtain new operations and reoperation. I I 4 p 1 Means are providedfor holding the pinion engine starter-system Referring to the embodiment of invenl same will bedepressed against the pressure The drive or transmission is made as an asdrive comprises. a screw shaft or sleeve? cumferential groove 10 which cooperates with the shifter mechanism hereinafter described. The screw shaft or sleeveis provided at its lower end with suitable stop means such: as the stopnut 11, The driving member which is here in the form of a pinion 12 is threaded upon the screw threads 8. The teeth "of the pinionare inclined or beveled and adapted to engage the correspondingly inclined or beveled" teeth 13 of the engine member-which is'here the flywhe'elj 14. The screw threads 8 havea longlead for a purposehereinafter made apparent during "the description of I in a raised or disengaged position-as shown in 3. Such means here coniprisea latch'15" pivoted at 16 in a longitudinal groove in the shifter sleeve and spring-pressed inwardly I as toits upper end by a plunger 17 and spring 18. The shifter sleeve has a pin and slot'connection with the screw shaft as shown at 19 and 20 in order'to have an independent longitudinal movement with; respect to such screw shaft. The body of the'latch works in a slot 21 in such screw shaft. This pinion is provided at its upper end with a recess or notch 22 as shown in Fig. .2 in order to engage the lower end of such latch. It will be understood that the'latch15 has a fixed angular relationship withthe threads of the screw shaft and since the pinion is screw threaded onthe shaft and since the notch 22 is purposely located with relation to the thread. openings in the pinion, the end of suchlatch, on the demesh'ng movement of the pinion, will enter a thread opening (such as seen at 1 the the right of notch: 22 in Fig. 2) and,riding on the inclined surface ofthe thread, the

of its spring 18,'until the rotation of the pin ion as imparted to it by the flywheel brin .the notch 22 intoregister with the late whereupon the latch will snap into the notch. The 'screw. shaft is operatively connected withthe 'motor by means of the driving 'head- 23 which is secured thereto by the bolt 24 and by the drive spring 25 connected at its opposite ends to'such driving head '23 andto'the driven head 26 here forming apart f; no

. nected to such driven 2 6-.by means of the bolt 27.

" Next describing the 1, the same comprises a lever or plunger 28 which is here shown as a foot lever working through the foot board 29 of an automobile for instance and pivoted at 30 to the underside thereof.- This foot lever is ofirregular shape and is provided with a heel'3l engaging a normally upwardly spring-pressed vertical plunger 32 which has hearings inthc brackets. 33 projecting laterally from the motor frame and the casing 6. This plunger is normally upwardly spring-pressed by means of a spring 34 bearing'at its lower end against the upper bracket 33 and at its upper end against a head 35 secured to the upper end of such plunger 32. This head 35. is pro vided with a laterally projectingportion or finger in whose path is interposed a movable button 36 of the motor switch 37. Towards. its lower end, the plunger 32is provided witha pivoted latch 38 in'whose path of movement This lever 39 is held in a normal position by means of a coil spring 42.

Describing a cycle of operation and start-v ing with the normal position of the parts as illustrated in Figs. 1' and 3, when the" foot' lever 28 is operated and the plunger 32 thereby depressed, the shifter sleeve-9 will be raised and the latch will be removed from the notch 22 of the pinion with the result that the pinion will be permitted to move'downwardly spirally by gravity to I the position shown in Fig. ,4, at which time the switch button 36 is operated and the motor is started whereupon the rotation, of the'screw shaft will-cause the automatic engagement between the pinion and the'flywheel. During this period of engagement the motor attains a considerable speed of rotation so that when the pinion contacts the stop 11, there-'exist'sf, due

- which is interposed in the lineot transmission of torque and provides through its yielding a time interval so that this deceleration torque is properly limited in its extent and utilized e'fliciently in the breakaway or initial overcoming of the inertia of the :flywheel and associated partsf The parts are now in cranking position as shown in Fig; 5 and the engine will thereupon be cranked. When the shifterconnections', of WhlCh a recommended form is shown in F1g.

engine starts on its own power, the pinion will be automatically demeshed by being screwed backwardl ,that is, upwardly upon the screw shaft unti it comes within the range of action of the latch 15 whereupon such latch will engage the notch 22 as shown in Fig. 3,.such shifter and its latch having by that timebeen restoredto normal position as shown in Figs.

3 and 5., The pinion is thereby held'against "any return to lowered position against the; flywheel, and"this' is true whether the .operatorordriver has released pressure upon the foot lever 28 or: not inasmuch as the depression of such lever 28"a-nd plunger-32 such as illustrated in Fig. 5 does notprevent there-' turnof the, shifter sleeve to normal position because of the use of the pivoted latch 38 which permits of the returnof the shifter sleeve to normal position before such plunger 32 reaches its lowermost limit of movement.

In other words, such latch38 passes by the lever 39- "afterthe latter has performed its s'hifting function and such latch wipes by such lever on itsupward stroke by tiltmgthe .latteiu- 'j v f is interposed a lever 39-pivoted at-f4Q'in-a lateral opening in the casing6d. The inner I end of this lever '39 projects-into the casing .6 and is formed as a round head 41whichengages the groove 10 of the shifter' sleeve..

sleeve, a'driving member mounted on the An engine starter including a vertically disposed-rotatable shaft, a drive mounted thereon and driven thereby and including a sleeve for rotary movement therewith and for longitudinal movement thereof and movable by gravity to engage a member of the engine to be started, and manually controlled means for holding the driving member in retracted position.

2." An engine starter including a vertically disposed rotatable shaft, a drive 'mounted thereon and driven thereby and including a screw threaded sleeve, a driving member threaded on the sleeve and movable by gravity to engage a member of the engine to be started, and manually controlled means for holding the-driving member in retracted position. v

" 3. Anenginelstarte r including a vertically disposed rotatable shaft, a drive mounted thereon and, driven thereby'and including a screwthreaded' sleeve, a driving member threaded on'the sleeve and movable by grave 'ity toengages member of the engine to be started, a manually controlled latch forholding thedriving member in retracted position.

4. An engine starter including a vertically disposedrotatable shaft, a drive mounted llu thereon and driven thereby and including a screwthreaded sleeve, 9. driving member threaded on the sleeve and adapted to engage a member of the engine to be started, the

threads on the sleeve having a long lead whereby the driving member will, when'released. automatically move by gravity on such threads, and means for holdingv the driving member in a normally retracted pos'ition.

An engine starter including a vertically disposed rotatable shaft, va drive mounted thereon anddriven thereby and including a screw' threaded sleeve, :1 driving member threaded on the sleeve and adapted to engage .a member of the engine to be started. the threads on the sleeve having a long lead whereby the driving member will, when re-.

leased, automatically move by gravity on such threads into contact with the engine member. means for'automatieally establishthereon and driven thereby and including a screw threaded sleeve, a driving member threaded on the sleeve and adapted to engage a'member of the engine to be started, the threads on. the sleeve having a long lead whereby the driving member will, whenre leased, automatically move by gravity on such threads, into contact with the engine member, means including a yielding driving connection for automatically establishing the driving connection between the driving member and the engine member, and means for holding the driving member in a normally retracted position.

7. An engine starter including a vertically disposed rotatable shaft, a drive mounted thereon and driven thereby and including a screw threaded sleeve and a pinion threaded on the sleeve and adapted to engage'a member of the engine to be started, the threads on the sleeve. having a long lead whereby the pinion will automatically moveby gravity on such threads, means for holding the pinion in a raised position after disengagement from the engine member, and a manually operated device for controlling said means.

8. An engine starter including a vertically disposed rotatable shaft. a drive mounted thereon and driven thereby and including a screw threaded sleeveand a pinion threaded on the sleeve. and adapted to engage a membcrot the engine to be started, the threads on the sleeve having'a long lead whereby,

the driving member will automatically move. by gravity on such threads, :1 shifter sleeve mounted to slide on the screw sleeve, a catch therewith, saidpinion drivingly connected device mounted on the shifter-- sleeve and adapted to hold the pinion in raised position on the sleeveafter disengagement from the. engine member, and means for operating the] shifter sleeve. 9. :An engine start disposed rotatable shaft, adrive including a screw sleeve mounted on the shaft, a yielding driving connection between it and'the shaft, a pinion threaded on the sleeve for longitudinal movement thereof" and rotary movementtherewith, said pinion being movable by gravity to engage a. member of the engine to be started, means for-holding the pinion in a normally retracted position, and a mauu ally operated device for controlling said means.

10. An engine starter an electric motor with a vertically disposed extended armature shaft, a bracket depending from the motor and having at its lower end a bearing. for the lower end of such shaft, a drive assembly including'a screw sleeve system including i er including a-vertically mountedon the shaft and driven thereby, a v

pinion threaded onthe sleeve for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement being'movable by gravity-to engage a m'ember of the engine to be started,me'an s for holding the pinion 1n a normally retracted position, and a manually operated device for controlling said means. V 11. An engine starter including a vertically disposed .rotatable driving shaft, a drive mounted thereon including a sleeve ,with the shaft and a driving member drivingly operable thereby and mounted thereon for longitudinal movement and normally out of engagement with a member of the engine to be started but movgble by gravity to engage such engine mem- Jer.

12. An engine starter including a verti cally disposed rotatable driving shaft, :1-

drive mounted thereon including a sleeve drivingly connected with the shaft and a driving member drivingly operable thereby and mounted thereon for longitudinal movement and normally out of engagement with a member of the engine to be started but movable by gravity to engage such engine member and means for holding the driving member in its normal or retracted position.

\VILLIAM li. McGRA'lll. 

